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Friday, October 18, 2013

Hey Rockers,If you've been following the blog you know my last few patterns have been hats. While I was working on my Pretty Baby Beanie and Strawberry Slouchy (and a few other
patterns I'll be adding soon) I looked around the Internet for a clear head & hat size
chart so I would know the average sized head for each age, baby through adult. I was stumped. I found a few good ones, but no one chart had everything I wanted all in one place, in an easy organized sheet.I
took matters into my own hands and decided to
create my own version to use as a reference chart and thought you might like one too - I am all about sharing!Here is my head size chart. (This is
based on averages. Always measure for size if possible...especially little kids. I can't tell you how many times I've made a special order hat for someone's baby or toddler and ended up having to make a duplicate because the first one didn't fit. Bogus.)

I like having my charts close at hand and I keep a copy
in my crochet bag too. I've included a pdf version below for
easy access. (Did you know you can add pdf docs to Evernote and other readers for your tablets or iPads?)Here is the PDF version. You can find my Foot Size Chart and Hand Size Chart here. Rock the hook.xxDon't forget to rock with me over at Facebook, Pinterest and on Ravelry.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Hey Rock Stars,So, there's this holiday called I Love Yarn Day...yes, it's a real thing. Seriously. I don't really know much about it, cuz I still consider myself a newbie among crochet bloggers. I know you can participate. I don't know who the I Love Yarn Day people are. I probably should.

I know I love yarn. It helps me not want to hurt people.

Anyway, there's this Craft Yarn Council. They must be pretty popular because I can't get their website to load myself. But if you happen to get past the internet gatekeeper, I'm sure it'll be a pleasant experience. Also, I'm told they have free patterns to browse as well as other swaggy artwork and I Love Yarn Day paraphernalia. If they are anything like the Parks and Rec city council, I'm not sure we can be friends. (I love Leslie Knope too much.) But I'll give them a go.

I Love Yarn Day has it's own Facebook page. They (the yarn council) encourage people to show yarn love by throwing parties, knitting or crocheting in public, supporting local yarn stores (LYS), yarn-bombing and other crazy fiber-themed activities.

So the details are still a little vague for me. What's with I Love Yarn Day? Is it more like Mardi Gras with beads, topless knitters and crochet Jello shots? Or more reserved like Thanksgiving dinner where we all take turns saying which yarn company we are most grateful for and say a blessing for the bounty of sheep?

This year I Love Yarn Day is celebrated Friday, October 11. All day. Let the fiber fiestas commence. Rock the hook,xx

Friday, October 4, 2013

Blueberry Beanie with optional EarflapsIt’s October! And you know what that means? Pumpkins…and blueberries! (Well, sort of.) I designed this hat for my sweet friend as part of her middle daughter’s Halloween costume. (Shout out to Brooke & Ava for the inspiration!) This hat will fit most preschoolers and elementary age kids.

There are tons of free patterns on the internet for beanie hats. I love this beanie pattern because it’s simple and can be adapted for character hats or other themed hats (such as grapes, apples or even pumpkins). You can crochet this beanie with or without the earflaps - it's adorable either way!

Count/skip 24 stitches around front of hat, join yarn to hat to begin second earflap. Repeat earflap pattern from above.

Finish Edge &
Curly-Cues:Find the back of hat.CC = GreenCh 1, SC around to first earflap, sc along edge of earflap to tip.Ch 40. 2 SC in second chain from hook, 2 SC in each chain back to tip of earflap.SL ST to earflap, sc along edge of earflap down to hat.SC around to second earflap, SC along edge of earflap to tip.Ch 40. 2 SC in second chain from hook, 2 SC in each chain back to tip of earflap.SL ST to earflap, sc along edge of earflap down to hat.SC around to first sc, join.Finish, weave ends. Or continue to optional leaf edge.

Leaf Edge:

CC = GreenYou'll work in the SC's from the finished edge until you reach the first row of the earflaps. Then you'll slip stitch and chain your way across to the other side according to the instructions below, creating your base for the leaves to go right over the top of your earflaps. (Clear as mud right? See the image above as an example.)Rnd 1: Ch 6, skip 4 spaces, sl st to next sc from previous row, [Ch 5, skip 4 spaces, sl st to next sc] repeat around, join to 1st ch of round.Rnd 2: Ch 1, [sc, hdc, dc 3, ch2, dc 3, hdc, sc] in each ch 4 space around, join to 1st ch of round. (12 leaves)Finish, weave ends

You are all done! If you have ANY questions about
constructing this hat or find any errors in the pattern, please let me know in
the comments, e-mail, or on Ravelry!
Enjoy!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Hey Crochet Rockers! We’ve reached
450+ likes on FB, so I thought “hey – I’m gonna spread the crochet love to all
these new friends!” Here’s my version of a simple baby beanie that is easy to
crochet and works up in an evening (even for beginners). I hope you all like
it. As always, should you have any questions about this pattern – please email
me, message me on Ravelry or comment on this post.

This sweet baby beanie was a special
order for a baby shower gift and I think it turned out to be so precious!
(Shout out to Irma A. for the request and inspiration!)

I've also created a post for the Pretty Girl Beanie here (a larger version of this beanie). It has instructions for sizes 6 months - Adult.

I crocheted two different styles of
flowers that my friend could include with her baby shower gift. One flower was larger,
more full and sassy, while the other was smaller, less full and more subdued. That
way, mommy has options! (Some mommies like the larger flowers, some like a
little “less.”)